From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The sleuth hound/ˈsluːθhaʊnd/ (from Old Norse 'slóð' - track or
trail + 'hound')[1] was a
breed of dog. Broadly, it was a Scottish term for what in
England was called the bloodhound, although it seems that there
were slight differences between them. It was also referred to as a
'slough dog', (or 'slewe dogge'), and a 'slow hound', the first
word probably representing a mispronuciation of 'slough' rather
than a reference to the speed of the hound.

The sleuth hound first appears in poems about the Scottish
patriots Robert the Bruce[2] and William
Wallace[3]. These
poems depict their heroes tracked by sleuth hounds. Bruce escapes
by crossing water, and Wallace by killing one of his party, whom he
suspects of treachery, and leaving the corpse to distract the
hound. The poems are romances, not histories, but there is no
implausibility about the use of sleuth hounds. John
Barbour, who wrote The Bruce, was born before his hero
died, and the year in which the Bruce was supposedly pursued was
1307. Thus we can be sure that the inclusion of the sleuth hound in
the story was no anachronism, hence that the dogs existed in
Scotland as early as c.1300, and that their use as man-trailers was
fully established.

The earliest description of the sleuth hound is in The
history and croniklis of Scotland 1536, a translation by John Bellenden of
a Latin text by Hector
Boece, Historia Gentis Scotorum (History of the
Scottish People), originally published in 1526.[4]
The sleuth hound is described as one of three kinds of dog unique
to Scotland. It is said to be red or black with small spots. Its
special quality is its marvellous scenting power and determination
in pursuing thieves (known as Border Reivers). The law of the borders
between Scotland and England required that he who denies entry to
the sleuth hound when in pursuit of stolen goods is held an
accomplice to the theft.

John Caius
(translated from Latin by Fleming 1576)[5]
describes very similar uses of the English bloodhound on the
borders, leading us to think that the bloodhound and sleuthhound
were the same animal. In a book published in Switzerland in 1563
the sleuth hound is also called 'blüthund' and 'canis Scoticus
furum deprehensor' ('Scottish dog, thief catcher').[6] It is
confirmed here and in other texts of the time that the two animals
were the same, except that the bloodhound was somewhat larger, and
had a greater variety of coat colours than the sleuth hound.[7]
Generally, references to the sleuth hound appear in a man-trailing
context, whereas the bloodhound may appear either as a man-trailer
or as a seeker of beasts in the hunting field.

Probably from around 1700 any differences between to two types
disappeared. "Bloodhound" becomes the usual term even in Scottish
sources such as Sir Walter Scott.
The Scottish term survives in its metaphorical use from the
beginning of the nineteenth century as a detective, now usually shortened to sleuth.[8]

Hector Boece's
Account of the Sleuth Hound

OF THE MERUELLUS NATURE OF SYNDRY SCOTTIS DOGGIS

In Scotland ar doggis of meruellous nature, For abone the
commoun nature and condition of doggis, quhilkis ar sene in al
partis, ar thre maner of doggis in Scotland, quhilk ar sene in na
vthir partis of the warld.... The thrid kynd is mair than ony rache*, Reid hewit or ellis blak
with small spraingis of spottis, and ar callit be the peple
sleuthoundis. Thir doggis hes sa meruellus wit, that yai serche
theuis and followis on thaym allanerlie be sent of the guddis that
ar tane away. And nocht allanerlie fyndis the theif, but inuadis
hym with gret cruelte. And youcht the theuis oftymes cors the
watter, quair they pas, to cause ye hound to tyne the sent of thaym
and the guudis, yit he serchis heir and thair with sic diligence,
that be his fut he fyndis baith the trace of the theif and the
guddis. The meruellous nature of yir houndis wil have na faith with
vncouth peple. Howbeit the samyn ar rycht frequent and ryfe on the
bordouris of Ingland and Scotland. Attour it is statute be the
lawis of the bordouris, he that denyis entres to the sleuthound in
tyme of chace and serching of guddis, salbe haldin participant with
the cryme and thift committit.[4]

Rendered into modern English:

In Scotland there are dogs of a marvellous nature, for above the
common nature and condition of dogs which are seen in all places,
there are three sorts of dogs in Scotland which are seen in no
other parts of the world..... The third kind is larger than any
pack-hound, red coloured or else black with small streaks of spots,
and they are called sleuth-hounds by the people. These dogs have
such a marvellous cleverness that they seek for thieves, and follow
them only by the scent of the goods that are taken away. And not
only find the thief but attack him with great cruelty. And though
the thieves often cross the water, where they pass to make the
hound lose the scent of them and the goods, yet he searches here
and there with such diligence that by his foot (ie by the
foot-scent of the thief) he finds both the trace of the thief and
his goods. The marvellous nature of these hounds will not be
believed by ignorant people. Nevertheless, the same hounds are very
frequent and common on the borders of England and Scotland. In
addition it is established by the laws of the border that he that
denies entry to the sleuth-hound on an occasion of pursuit and
searching for goods shall be held as an accomplice to the crime and
theft committed.

Bellenden's translation says that the sleuth hound is
larger than a rache (pack
hound); Boece's Latin original says it is not larger. Whether this
is an error by Bellenden, or a deliberate correction, is
uncertain.